Pure of Heart: Tale of Orre
by xXFrostKittenXx
Summary: Jack isn't like the other Purity Trainers; he's fighting for his sister, not Pokemon in general. Does that make him a bad guy? Jack's an OC, VERY loosely based on Colosseum. Rated for language and knife-twisting. Please read and review, it's my first fanfic!
1. Prologue

Prologue

A girl in white was walking through the town of Pyrite nonchalantly, as if nothing could bother her. And truth be told, there wasn't much that could; Pyrite might be a little dangerous to walk alone, especially with Team Snagem wandering around, but she wasn't alone, not with her precious shiny Espeon. The Espeon in question padded confidently by her side, head held high, watching other Pokemon haughtily. It was powerful, it knew it, and it liked to show it.

The girl glanced at her watch and decided it was time for some lunch. It was their weekly habit to go to the Pyrite Pokemon Cafe, which served both humans and their Pokemon, but a friend had recently told her about a little stand on the outskirts of town that served some very delicious food. It supposedly made Pokemon that much stronger, and helped them bond with their trainers. She didn't believe any meer food could do that much, but she supposed it was worth checking out.

Now, where had Kelly said it was? She turned down an alleyway that looked right. The north side of town, right...?

She knew something was wrong the moment she stepped into that alleyway. It was a cliche, really; the bad guy attacks the "defenseless" little girl in the dark alley. She smiled thinly as a man clearly from Team Snagem, judging by the weird instrument he carried and the strange Pokeball he held, stepped behind her. He sent out a Murkrow.

She gasped as she saw it; the poor Pokemon looked absolutely rabid, and was surrounded by a black aura. She knew it was uncommon for a human to be able to see these things, and she had learned to hide it, but she just couldn't, not this time. A Pokemon shouldn't have such an evil aura...What had happened to it?

"Murkrow, Shadow Rush."

Espeon flew back as he was hit, crying out. This Murkrow was powerful...But so were they. "Espeon, Psychic!"

The bird was enveloped in a blue light, lifted up, and then slammed back down. "Beat that," she crowed victoriously.

The man smiled. "If you insist. Murkrow, give them another Shadow Rush!"

This one seemed more powerful than before. Once the bird slammed into the Espeon, the other didn't seem able to get back up.

"No!" the girl screamed.

The man only laughed. "Snag Ball, go!" He threw the Pokeball.

"Snag...?" she repeated softly, as the Pokeball hit her Espeon. She snorted; clearly he didn't know how things worked. You couldn't capture a Pokemon that belonged to someone else; it was stealing, and it wouldn't even work.

And then her jaw dropped, as the Pokeball not only swallowed her Pokemon with an unholy black light, but as it rocked once...twice...three times, and stopped moving. Her Espeon was captured.

"My Espeon! But how?"

"Don't sweat the small stuff, kid," the man laughed. "You should be happy. Team Snagem is going to make your Pokemon a whole lot stronger than you ever could."

"I don't care about power! Give him back!"

"As if!" He threw a handkerchief at the crying girl. "Pull yourself together. Emotions like that are why trainers and their Pokemon are so weak. I'm glad we got to Espeon in time; now you can't open its heart and weaken it anymore than you have!"

"Weaken him?" she cried, outraged. "I've only ever worked to make him stronger." She struggled to her feet. "And I am NOT going to let you take him away." She glared at him and launched herself at the Snag Ball.

"Murkrow, Shadow Rush!"

She cried out in pain as she struck the brick wall, slamming her skull into it. She was conscious only just long enough to see him walk over and pick up the Snag Ball. Then the world went black.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Jack Chase ran through the streets as fast as he could, his trusty Umbreon, Belladonna, bounding by his side. Once, they might have played on the way home. Once, he might have tossed a stick or a ball for her to catch. Now, with the bad news he had just received hanging over his head like a Seedot about to drop on him, all he could do was rush home to be with his sister.

It still hadn't sunk in yet; he had been battling in the square in Pyrite Town, a completely normal day...and then his mother called his cell phone and begged him to come home. His sister, so strong, a budding Pokemon Coordinator who was seriously considering leaving for the Hoenn region to compete in the contests there, had been attacked. Thorn, her loyal Espeon, had been stolen.

He bit his lip; how could this have happened? "Bella, come on," he snapped. This wasn't how he normally treated his best friend, but the Umbreon didn't take it personally; she sensed his distress and was willing to put up with his attitude. She felt some worry of her own; while her trainer talked on the phone, her sharp ears had picked out the names "Coraline" and "Thorn," along with the speaker's distressed tone.

After all, Thorn was her twin, just as Cora was Jack's. The four of them had been raised together, standing up for each other and comforting each other when times were bad. And for the Chase family, who were reasonably wealthy from Mr. Chase's work overseas, times could be very bad indeed, as they attracted unwanted attention from Team Snagem.

She remembered how she and her brother had met their masters. Jack was remembering the same.

Jack and Cora were six years old. It was their birthday. Their mother had gotten them each a new bike. Their father was overseas working, like usual. To make up for his inopportune absence, he had sent them two very special gifts, along with a card.

The box had intrigued him, because it had holes drilled in the sides and top. He and Cora lifted the lid off together, neither strong enough on their own, but working together, like they always had when things got tough. In the box were two silver and white fox-like pups, curled up together. The two Pokemon looked up at them.

"Eevee," one squeaked.

"Oh, look," their mother said, smiling gently. "Your father sent you both an Eevee apiece! A twin gift for the twins. How clever!"

None of them had known then just how special the coloration was until the twins were older. By then, they worked so flawlessly together that no one doubted the two Pokemon would evolve at any moment.

Jack looked down at his friend. His best friend, and besides his sister, his only one. Too many people became jealous of his precious shiny Pokemon and tried to "borrow" her. With her silky shadow-within-a-shadow black fur broken only by the beautiful blue rings on her ears, forehead, legs, and tail, it wasn't any wonder; she was the envy of every trainer and coordinator in Pyrite, beautiful and strong.

Espeon had never been the target of that before, not really. He supposed the bright lime green was a bit much for some people, but Cora had also been careful to stay out of view of the general public while she readied for her contests.

The house came into view; he dashed up the stairs, barely winded even though he had run all the way from the town square.

"Mom! Cora! I'm home!" he shouted, climbing the stairs two at a time, Bella right behind him.

"We're in Cora's room," his mother's voice called back. He went straight there.

He couldn't help but stare at his sister as he walked in. She was wearing a nightgown very like the pure white dress she usually wore, minus the blue ribbon. Her hair was down, the soft white locks spread around her face like a halo. But what shocked him the most was the skin showing outside the nightgown.

Her arms, neck, and what could be seen of her collarbone and shoulders were bruised. She had a bandage wrapped around her head, a black eye, and a split lip. Never had he seen her so beat up. Hell, he had never seen her in a physical fight before, had never seen her injured! Even as kids, she was always careful, never getting more than a scrape or two. It was always him who earned the battle scars, for the both of them.

His horror consolidated into a furious rage. He swore, then and there, that he would get revenge on the bastard who did this.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jack was in shock by what his sister told him. It just wasn't possible. And if it was...what did it mean for the rest of the region's trainers?

According to Cora, the thug had used a "Snag Ball" to capture and steal Thorn. Then he had claimed they would strengthen him by shutting down his heart...whatever that meant.

And it seemed key to know what that meant. So he decided to pay a visit to Prof. Geranium, a woman who studied Pokemon extensively, and by extension, knew all about the current Pokemon equipment. She had to know something useful.

"Professor!" he yelled, banging on her door. "You home? I need to talk to you." Bella howled, lending her own effort to attract the Professor's attention.

The door opened, and he was met by a twenty-something brunette in a white coat. "Jack!" she exclaimed. "What's the matter? Come inside."

"Something awful's happened. It's Cora; her Espeon was stolen!"

She gasped. "Thorn?" He nodded glumly. "Tell me exactly what happened," she demanded. He did, explaining as quickly and clearly as he could. When he finished, she gritted her teeth. "Damn it, not again. I thought we had this solved."

"This has happened before?"

Geranium nodded. "Yes, Team Snagem's been using Snag Ball's since they started taking over two years ago." They made their way to the lab area. "They have something called Snag Gear, that allows them to take Pokeballs and convert them so they can capture other trainers' Pokemon. But we're not defenseless," she said quickly, seeing his furious look. "We created some Gear of our own. Come see." She led him to the back area, hidden from immediate view, and pointed to the center of the room.

There was a steel table, the top covered with strange, chocolate-coin-sized devices attached to black gloves, all of which was protected by glass-bulletproof, he thought. "What are those?" Jack asked interestedly.

They edged closer. "They're called Purity Gear," Geranium explained. She unlocked the glass case and pulled one out, putting it on. "You wear it like this and pick up a Pokeball with it. It converts the Pokeball into a Purity Ball, which acts like the Snag Ball in that it allows you to capture other trainers' Pokemon, but only if the Pokemon is corrupted. Otherwise it won't work. Once the Pokemon is captured, it's slowly purified until it returns to normal."

There were five, including the one the professor wore. "So who gets them?" he asked. Five new combatants to fight Snagem was no bad thing; maybe one of them would catch Thorn and return him to normal!

Geranium shook her head sadly. "I don't know," she said. "I wish I did, but for some reason, the Purity Gear will only work for certain trainers, and I can't tell who it will be. I don't even know why."

"But you made it, right?" he asked confusedly. How can you create something and not know how it worked?

She nodded. "But sometimes, when you program something, random bits of code will give you completely unpredictable outcomes when they come together."

"Can't you change it?"

"Yeah. I did it once, with one. But it didn't work nearly as well as the others; the Pokemon took almost three times as long to Purify. We can't have that." She took off the glove and was about to put it back when someone called out, "Professor! I'm back for my report."

"Can you hold this?" She left without waiting for his answer.

"Sure," he muttered at her retreating back. This wasn't the first time she'd done something like this, admittedly not with anything so valuable, but he couldn't complain; she clearly trusted him.

He listened to their indistinct voices, quickly growing bored. So he decided to more closely examine the glove.

The device in the palm was plain, glossy black. The glove was fingerless, backless black leather. A closer look revealed that the device had a little light bulb, but the glass was so dark that it almost completely blended into the plastic, and it was off.

With a quick glance at the door, he slid the glove on. If the professor was right, it wouldn't react, so he didn't expect it to. Then he closed his eyes and imagined finding Thorn. His fingers curled into a fist as he imagined holding the Purity Ball (which, in his mind, looked not unlike a Premium Ball), throwing it at Thorn, capturing him, Purifying him for Cora...

An electric shock jolted him awake. Was that...the attack Spark? He looked around, confused by the light shock, and saw Geranium and a green haired young man his age glaring at him, a Shinx in front of them, taking up a battle stance.

Bella, just as unprepared for the attack as her trainer, leapt in front of him with a growl, taking her own battle stance.

"Take that glove off, you thief, or I'll give you more of the same!" the boy shouted. His green hair was short and spiked, and he wore brown carpenter pants, a green shirt, and a brown vest.

"Who are you calling a thief?" Jack snarled. "And what the hell do you mean, 'more of the same?' That barely stung." Shinx, immediately offended, started to spark.

"Stop this, both of you," Geranium pleaded. "Jack, this is Andy, he's a Purity Trainer. Andy, Jack's not a thief, he's a local trainer who-"

"Barely stung?!" Andy's face reddened; he didn't seem to be listening to Geranium anymore. "Shinx, Thundershock!"

Jack threw his hand out, the way he always did in a battle. "Bella, Shadowball!"

Geranium's eyes widened as she focused on Jack's palm; so did Andy's. Then the two attacks collided and exploded, the lights went out, and everyone was thrown backward from the force.

**Author's Note: Don't expect this on a regular basis. I hate to disappoint you all, but I was on a roll and figured people might be more interested if they had more to read. Read and review, brutal honesty is always best!**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"No," Andy said flatly, his eyes still dark.

It was after the battle. There weren't any serious injuries, so after Geranium managed to talk Andy down a bit, they all moved to the main lab, sat down, and tried to decide what to do.

"Do you need to see the little blinking light again?" Jack asked drily. Really, it was ridiculous; Geranium had seen the light when Jack had called for Bella's Shadowball attack and pointed it out to Andy. Apparently, that meant the Purity Gear was reacting to Jack, so it would work for him. This was backed by the undeniable evidence of Jack being unable to get the glove off for some reason. Why was he having so much of a problem believing it?

"Dark type trainers can't use the Purity Gear!"

"That's incredibly biased of you. Why can't I?"

"You train Dark types, that's why!"

"Let me explain his reasoning," Professor Geranium cut in. "Andy comes from a faraway region[1] where Pokemon are believed to have certain basic characteristics based on their types. Dark types are considered evil there, and most trainers avoid them to keep from being considered evil themselves."

"Evil?" Jack blanched. Looking at Bella, he couldn't see how she could be considered evil. Beautiful, yes. Strong, definitely. But never evil. Bella, offended by Andy's accusing glare, fluffed her fur out and flattened her ears. Jack had a similar feeling. "You're insane. And the Gear chose _you_?" he scoffed.

"Alright, enough," Geranium snapped. "Jack, stop baiting Andy. Andy, Jack's a Purity Trainer and that is final. Do you both understand?"

"I'm not baiting-"

"He can't be-"

"No." She glared at them. They both fell silent. "Andy, your report's given. Get going. I'll explain to Jack." Andy, still looking distinctly sullen, slouched out the door, his Shinx close behind.

Once he was gone, she visibly relaxed. "I'm sorry, Jack," she apologized softly. "He has some extreme beliefs, but he's very good at purifying corrupted Pokemon." She got something from a cabinet and sat back down. "So, first things first. Let's get you listed in the book and then I'll get you a journal..."

**A WHILE LATER...**

Jack stood at the edge of the town, taking one last look in the direction of his house. He had a backpack slung over one shoulder, and Bella stood at his side. She cocked her head to one side and mewled at him, waiting.

"It's alright, Bella," he said softly. "Geranium will tell them I'm gone. And we'll return, with Thorn, and Cora can begin her own journey." He turned and started walking. After a moment, Bella followed.

It was a good thing the area was empty; otherwise, someone might have seen the tear that slipped down his face...

**Author's Note: Whew! Now that the explanation's are mostly out of the way, I can concentrate mostly on the plot. There'll be some explanations on the fly, but other than that...and I don't have work for two more days, so I can keep writing!**

**[1] I won't really go into this during this story, but I plan on writing about this region. It's an original region of my own design, so I hope you'll like it!**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Once Jack had reached Phenac City, he took Geranium's advice and checked out the Pre Gym for some training.

He walked casually up to a group of guys. "I'm looking for Justy," he stated. A dark haired guy in a long sleeved shirt broke away from the stunned group.

"Can I help you?" the man asked, a charismatic smile on his face.

"You can if you're Justy. I was told you set up battles here for trainers?"

"Yeah. I take it you want to train a bit?"

Jack nodded, once. "I need to get Bella stronger. We're..." he glanced at the Pokemon uncertainly. How much should he say? Geranium hadn't specified. "We're traveling around Orre, and I don't want to come out second best in a conflict with Team Snagem," he said, finally deciding less was more.

Justy didn't seem to suspect a thing. He laughed. "Yeah, that would suck, right? Okay, I'll help you out." He pointed to the arena in the center. Go stand on the left side of that arena. You'll face a string of four trainers. Between each battle, I'll ask if you want to keep going, so there's no excuse for allowing that Umbreon of yours to get hurt, okay?" Jack nodded, smiling. "Well, go on, then!"

**TWO HOURS LATER**

Jack sat curled in a chair at the Pokemon Center, staring broodingly at the door to the exam rooms. That was...

...Well, his first thought was humiliating, but then he realized it shouldn't be. He was top dog in Pyrite Town, but Phenac City had different trainers, ones he hadn't been battling for so long he could predict their moves in his sleep. A learning experience, he decided, and a tough one at that.

He had had an easy enough time with Botan. He used a similar strategy to a kid he used to fight back home. Actually, he had gotten all the way to Gwin, and then...then Bella couldn't take anymore. She had been tired, but willing to continue, and had gamely faced down Gwin's Geodude, only to be crushed in one move by her Rhyhorn.

Nurse Joy approached him. "Is Bella okay?" he asked anxiously, jumping to his feet.

Nurse Joy smiled. "Your Umbreon is just fine." She handed him Bella's Pokeball. "Just wait until she's a little stronger before you go facing any more Rhyhorns, okay?"

He nodded and thanked her before leaving.

He didn't think he could face Justy again so soon, not with the memory of his furious and disappointed face still fresh in his mind, so he decided to go to the Mayor's office to ask if there had been any recent incidents with Team Snagem.

He was halfway there when he heard a little girl screaming. At first he froze. All he could picture was Cora, lying in bed, split lip and black eye-

-and then he was moving, towards the scream, legs and arms pumping, but he couldn't seem to move fast enough for his own liking, it was like a nightmare-

-and then he reached them.

"Le Roi," the girl wailed. Arceus, she couldn't be more than five. What kind of a creep could do this? "No, you can't have him. Give him back! Le Roiii!"

"Hey," he shouted angrily. The perp looked up, grinning vilely, his Murkrow still free.

A Murkrow?

That was the creep who attacked his sister!

"What d'you want, kid?" the Snagem goon asked lazily.

"What do you think you're doing? Give her back her Pokemon," Jack demanded angrily. He thought rapidly. Was Bella up to this battle, so soon after a defeat? She really needed to rest...but did he have a choice? It was his duty to fight Team Snagem now.

"No," the man said coldly. Then he grinned. "Not like you can make me," he goaded the boy.

No choice. "Bella, Shadowball!" Bella burst onto the scene with a howl, already building the energy for the attack, and released it at the bird.

"Dodge and Shadow Rush," the man commanded, suddenly serious.

Arceus, his sister was right; when the crow moved, he could see its evil black aura streaming behind it. But how? He had never seen these things before. "Dodge and Bite, Bella, quickly!" The Umbreon slid sideways and turned to Bite the bird's wing as it passed. It screamed in outrage and pain. "Release and Return!" The bird shot away, Bella letting it before she shot after it and hit it full force, surrounded by a white aura. The Murkrow wheeled away, unable to focus.

Time to see if this device worked. He popped an empty Pokeball off his belt and enlarged it, holding it in his gloved hand for a moment. He watched, amazed, as the ball turned pure white with the outline of a flame etched into the top half.

No time to wonder at it' he threw it at the helpless bird. "Purity Ball, go!" The bird was captured with a burst of white light.

He watched with baited breath. According to the professor, only the very strongest Pokemon would be able to escape a Purity Ball, just like only the very strongest could escape a Snag Ball, but he couldn't help but worry as it rocked. Finally, with one last angry shiver, it stopped moving.

Bella batted it to him as the Snagem perp clenched his jaw. Jack couldn't help but smile as he picked it up. Then the ball disappeared with a shimmer. He blinked.

"It doesn't matter," the perp snarled. "I have another Pokemon for you to battle. Go, Shadow Rush!"

He gasped as the dark light formed and solidified into a familiar shape.

"Thorn?"


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Espeon, Shadow Rush!"

"Bella, move!"

The Umbreon was gone in a flash, but Thorn still managed to clip her shoulder. Her paw slipped, but she still managed to regain her footing and prepare for her next attack.

"Thorn! What are you doing? Why are you listening to him? You belong to-"

"Can it, will you?" the perp snarled. "Espeon belongs to Team Snagem now. He won't listen to you. Shadow Rush!"

Bella moved of her own accord this time, and Jack was grateful; he couldn't seem to think. He knew what had happened, according to Cora. He knew the only way he could capture Thorn and bring him home was to weaken him enough to catch. He knew that if he did nothing, Thorn's aura would continue to be clouded by this darkness.

But he couldn't call the attacks. Not on Thorn. Thorn, who was like a sibling to him and Cora, just like Bella. Please, not Thorn.

Bella howled as Thorn's attack finally connected. "Bella!" he screamed.

He gritted his teeth. As much as he loved Thorn, he couldn't allow this to happen; he loved Bella more. "Bella, Shadowball, now." She looked back at him, shocked; clearly, she was just as apprehensive about attacking her sibling as her master was. "Don't look at me like that; it's the only way. Now!"

Slowly, the Umbreon turned away from him, ears and head drooping. He flinched. But then he heard her low growl and saw the ball of energy forming. With a scream, it was released and hit Thorn dead on.

Jack's eyes widened as the smoke cleared. Thorn seemed to have taken little, if any, damage. Really, he seemed flat out pissed.

"Bella, Bite!" he commanded, flustered, trying to make a comeback as brilliant as his ones back home.

He never had a chance; Thorn used another Shadow Rush, and this time, Bella couldn't get back up.

"Pathetic," the perp sneered, reaching into a pocket. Jack's eyes widened, knowing he was going to try and create a Snag Ball. He fumbled for his own Pokeball to protect Bella. If he could only return her fast enough...

The Pokeball slipped out of his fingers, rolling a few feet away. Cursing, he lunged for it.

The perp frowned and tried his other pocket. Then his other, other pocket. He wasn't out of Pokeballs, was he? Quickly, he patted his jeans and vest. He had to have one somewhere...normally, he kept at least one on him...

Jack's fingers connected with the metal of the Pokeball, closing over it. He picked it up, yelling in triumph, pointed it at Bella, and returned her. Then he saw the furious look on his opponent's face.

"-careless-" he spluttered. Jack frowned, confused. Then he saw the perp's empty hands.

No Snag Ball?

"You got lucky this time," the perp growled. "I should never have run out of Pokeballs. You don't deserve that Umbreon; you weakened it, like your sister did this Espeon. If I hadn't run out-"

"Spare me," Jack said coolly. Now that Bella wasn't in immediate danger, he could mask his fear and fury. "Who are you? Why do you have Thorn?"

(A/N: What, you really expected a Snagem Grunt to have an Espeon?!)

"My name is none of your concern," the perp snapped. "And why shouldn't I have Espeon? I'm powerful enough to deserve it, so it was awarded to me." He turned to go, returning Thorn.

Jack ran after him and grabbed at his shoulder. "Come back, you jackal! Give Thorn back to m-"

The man threw him off and shoved him. Jack looked at him, eyes wide. "What makes you think you can demand anything from me, _loser_?" he hissed. Jack stumbled back, tripped, landed on his butt.

Loser?

**A/N: Yahoo! Finally finished! I was so lost of where to go with this particular battle. I knew it was too soon for Jack to get Thorn back for his sister, but I just couldn't resist tormenting him. ^.^**

**A thought occurred to me. I only got one review (Thanks RedWarrior702 for the encouragement and for following!) I admit I have a bit of a problem with my writings: If I start editing, I usually get stuck there. So my main goal is to get this out to you guys so you can see the story. I tried to write it the best I could. After this is said and done, I'm going to go through each chapter and edit, see if there's anything that should be changed. More details, less, whatever...I promise I'm not trying to short change you!**

**Anyway, hope you liked it. Please read and review.**


	7. Chapter 6

Italics = dream

Chapter 6

_He was five years old, before he got Bella, surrounded by faceless kids. He stood in the middle of a circle of them, holding a little Pachirisu, wearing the neat little light blue suit with white trim that was his school uniform._

_The kids laughed as the Pachirisu hid its face in his shirt. Poor thing; it was scared senseless and shaking, a little burn on its back, evidence of being attacked by Chad's Charmander._

_And then there was Chad, standing a few feet away. "Let that stupid thing go," the boy sneered. He was a few years older than Jack, a third grader. "I'm not finished with it yet!" The Charmander stepped out from behind its master._

"_No," Jack whispered fearfully. Oh, yes, he remembered this day; his first Pokemon battle. He had caught Chad torturing small pet Pokemon that escaped their yards with his Charmander, so he rescued one of the victims. He had tried to run for a teacher, but Chad's friends surrounded him. Only this time, it looked like Jack's entire class was there as well._

"_Fine, don't. See if I care. Charmander, Flamethrower!" The Charmander opened its mouth and released a geyser of fire. Jack tried to stand and run._

_He screamed, forced to release the Pokemon. The Pachirisu hid behind him, fur charred. Jack's hands were blistered badly. _

"_Pachirisu," he whispered. "Pachirisu, you have to fight back! He'll hurt you if you don't. Please fight back."_

_The little Pokemon crept out from behind him, looking at him hopefully. It squeaked._

"_Yeah, that's right. Now-" He paused suddenly. He couldn't think of any attacks._

_That wasn't right; he had known exactly what to say before. Why couldn't he think of anything now? He frowned. Behind him, the crowd giggled._

"_Charmander, attack!"_

_The Charmander leapt forward, scratching, biting, and generally just giving the poor Pachirisu a pounding like nothing else he had ever seen. Jack watched helplessly, horrified, as the Pokemon was beaten. This wasn't how it was supposed to be, he thought numbly. No, he had been winning during the real fight._

_Finally, the Pachirisu couldn't get back up. It tried, but it collapsed back down._

"_This is boring," Chad yawned. "What a loser. You're perfect for eachother."_

_A teacher finally came over. "What's going on?"_

"_I won a Pokemon match!" Chad exclaimed happily. But that was my line, Jack protested silently._

_Instead of the teacher scolding them as she did in real life, because Pokemon battles weren't allowed during school, she smiled. "Congratulations, Chad. Your Charmander's really strong." She looked at Jack, her smile slipping away. "Arceus, Jack. Couldn't you have at least found a stronger Pokemon? Maybe then you wouldn't have lost!" She walked away, the other children laughing freely now._

_The dream changed._

_It was a few years later, and Jack was in fifth grade. He was sitting under an apple tree in his yard with Bella, still a silver Eevee. Bella was turned away from him, nose stuck haughtily in the air. The sun was down completely, and Jack found himself trying to tempt Bella to look at him with an Oran berry._

_He felt his mouth open. "Bella, I'm sorry I stepped on your tail. This will make it feel better, I promise! Please forgive me?"_

_He remembered this day; when Bella evolved. He had stepped on her tail on accident and offered the berry to relieve the pain. Bella had immediately turned to eat the berry, and, being completely happy with her trainer, had evolved into an Umbreon a few hours later._

_Just as expected, she turned. She even stepped closer to him, though she bypassed the berry and looked straight in his eyes. Her mouth opened._

_Suddenly, she snarled, "I will never be happy with a trainer like you!" She bit into his wrist, drawing blood._

"_Bella, I said I was sorry!" he cried, yanking away._

"_Sorry doesn't make it better, you loser! SORRY DOESN'T BRING MY BROTHER BACK!"_

He sat up in bed with a gasp. Tears streamed down his face. Bella, who had been sleeping next to him, lifted her head in sleepy confusion. She gave her strange little high-pitched whine, asking what was wrong.

He rolled over onto his side and picked her up, squeezing her. "Bella, I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I lost your brother, I'm sorry." He whispered his apologies over and over to her, staring blankly at the wall.

Finally, Bella, completely fed up with her trainer's strange behavior, nipped his shoulder to shake him out of his depression. It worked; he stared at her in shock. She wiggled up a bit, placed both paws on either shoulder, fixed him with a glare only an Umbreon could deliver, and licked him on the nose.

The message was strangely clear: "I forgive you already, so knock off the bullshit!"

Jack pulled her into a gentler hug. "You're right," he whispered. He closed his eyes. "Bella, I promise we'll get Thorn back. No matter what happens, I'll get him back."

**A/N: I apologize profusely. This was barely more than a filler, trying to move the story forward. On the plus side, I like to think it had some entertainment value in the ever-so-slight knife-twisting. Read and review.**


	8. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: I realized I forgot this. I don't own Pokemon, but I do own Jack and Cora, as well as Bella and Thorn's personalities.

Chapter 7

"Alright, Bella, it's time to get the hell out of Phenac," Jack said grimly. "Next stop, Gateon Port." Bella cried out. They stepped outside the Phenac border, starting the next leg of their journey.

**A FEW DAYS LATER...**

Jack stood just outside Gateon Port, thanking Arceus he had arrived at last. Without any form of transportation other than his own two feet, the journey was a long one, and at times unpleasant.

The first thing he did was go straight to the Pokemart and buy some Pokeballs. He refused to be caught unawares again. Then he decided to check out the town for rumours of this creepy thief character that he decided to call Jackal. Bella, he kept in her Pokeball, letting her rest. She had been returned after the first few hours of walking.

He wandered the dark alleyways, eying trainers and warehouses. Who to ask, who to ask...

"Hahahahaha! You loser, you really thought you could win? Your Pokemon belongs to Team Snagem, now!" The voice was distinctly feminine

Well, well, well...He grinned and switched directions, heading towards the sound of the continued taunting. There, he was met by a surprising sight-Andy, minus his Shinx. Standing about two meters away was a girl in jeans, a white shirt, and a red vest. The vest was unzipped, showing "SNAGEM" in graffiti lettering across her shirt. She had icy blue hair and green eyes.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," Jack drawled, drawing the two trainers' attention. Remembering Andy's initial response to him, he really didn't feel above kicking the guy while he was down. Andy's eyes widened in shock.

The Snagem girl smirked. "Hello," she cooed. "Did you want a match, too?" Beside her, a Furret bristled excitedly. It looked like it barely had a scratch on it.

Bella freed herself, taking a battle stance, raring to go. "Sure. A battle for Shinx?" Andy stared at him, as if he couldn't believe what Jack just said.

The girl laughed. "Yeah, sure. I'll give him back, as long as you can win. You won't, but I'll give you a shot. Furret, Shadow Rush!"

"Bella, Return!" He grabbed an empty Pokeball in anticipation.

The two Pokemon collided, seemed to slide past each other, facing away from their owners...and then Furret collapsed, unconscious, and Bella's front right leg gave out. The Pokeball in Jack's hand glowed, red turning light lavender, white turning silver.

"Purity Ball, go!" The girl's jaw dropped as the Furret was captured with little resistance.

"But how?" she wailed.

"Did you think we wouldn't figure out how Snagem was taking Pokemon?" Jack demanded. "You think it's hard to replicate?" He was bluffing, but really, how much could she know? He watched her jaw tighten. "Now free Shinx so I can reclaim him."

"Like hell I will!" She turned and ran down the alleyway. Cursing, Jack followed.

He lost her by the docks. She had gotten too far ahead of him. He cursed and stopped, looking at the intersecting alleys that created a crossroads. Which way?

Her laugh floated over to him. "Arceus, you're a fool! Way too trusting."

"Where are you?" He spun, trying to track the sound. "_Who_ are you?"

"You can call me Frost," she sang. "Me 'n' my new Shinx, we'll see you again soon. Take care of that Furret for me, I want it in top condition when I take it back from you."

"You'll never take it back! Now come back here and give me Shinx!"

"So over excited," she purred. "See you around."

"Wait!" There was no reply. He growled in frustration. "One step forward, two steps back," he muttered. He turned and made his way back to where he left Andy.

**ABOUT AN HOUR LATER...**

Andy was sitting against a grimy brick wall, waiting for him. "Well?" he demanded.

Jack shook his head. "I lost her." He didn't offer an excuse, knowing there wasn't one. He looked away.

So he was completely unprepared for what happened next. Andy grabbed him and punched him in the jaw. "You lost her," Andy screamed. "You lost that stupid bitch, you lost my Shinx!"

Jack shoved him back. "Shut up," he snapped. He took out the newly captured Furret and wrapped Andy's hand around it. "I'm sorry, okay? Maybe with this, you can get Shinx back." Andy sniffed and looked at the Purity Ball.

"Lavender...?" Andy whispered.

"Yeah, so what? Do you want the Furret or not?"

Andy hesitated, then took it. "Sorry," he mumbled. "It's just that, no one's ever seen lavender before. Different colors mean different things," he explained. "The most common color is silver, I think. And light blue. The blue heals faster than the silver."

"Great, tell me how the lavender works out later. _After_ you get Shinx back," Jack added meaningfully.

Andy just looked at him. He opened his mouth, shut it again. Finally, he just nodded and took off in the direction Frost had taken.

Thank Arceus; Jack thought he might have been about to thank him, and he was grateful for the silence. Swallowing that much pride might have killed both of them.


	9. Chapter 8

Italics = dreaming

Chapter 8

_Jack found himself falling._

_At first he was standing at a cliff. He looked cautiously over the edge, trying to see if there was a bottom. Bella and another Pokemon were behind him, he knew, watching out for Snagem idiots._

_Then, something hit his back and bounced off, too quick to really register, and he was free falling into an abyss. The bottom was slowly becoming clearer, lit by tiny torches, made small by distance, but slowly getting closer. He woke just before impact._

Jack sat up with a gasp. Bella, who had been sleeping on his stomach, was forced to roll onto the bed, complaining. "Sorry," he murmured. She grumbled, curled up, and went back to sleep.

He was still in Gateon Port, spending the night in the Pokemon Center before making his way to Agate Village. He looked out the window of his tiny room; the sun was just rising. He hadn't been asleep for long, then.

After Andy took off, he had combed the entire town for traces of Team Snagem, searching late into the night, without results. Finally, he went back to the Pokemon Center.

He briefly considered going back to sleep, but then shuddered. In light of his latest dream, he didn't feel like he could, and had no desire to repeat the experience.

Well, it was about time he checked in, anyway.

A few minutes later, he was packed up and sitting down in one of the Center's phone booths, calling Professor Geranium to report what happened with Andy and Frost.

"You said her name was Frost?" Geranium repeated, surprised. Jack nodded.

"She seemed pretty confident, even after she lost." Jack stroked Bella softly, frowning as he remembered. He hated broken promises, and the ease she broke hers with...well, it made him twitch.

"Well, it's a good thing you gave that Furret to Andy, then. It's killed two Pidgeys with one stone, as it were."

"Really? How so?"

Geranium smiled patronisingly. "Well," she said slowly, "the first is now Andy doesn't have to give up being a Purity Trainer. With no Pokemon, he would have been out of luck. The second is that if Frost is going after you for that Furret, now she won't be able to get it back."

Jack blinked, his mouth silently forming an "oh." How come he didn't think of that on his own?

"And I'm very proud of you," she continued. "Despite your first meeting with him, you still tried to help Andy. I know how important first impressions are t-hey, are you okay?" She stared at him curiously.

Jack stopped mid-yawn. "Yeah, just tired. I've been having a lot of nightmares lately."

"Is that why you called so early?" He nodded. "I'm sorry, I should have warned you. The more a Purity Trainer encounters corrupt Pokemon, the more nightmares they have-and the worse they become. We don't know why, but you can order a Lunar Wing charm to counteract it."

Jack pulled a face. "I thought those were fake?"

Geranium shrugged. "They seem to work. It's worth a shot. So..."

Awhile later, he was hanging up with Geranium and calling home. He sincerely hoped Cora picked up instead of his mother.

No such luck.

"Jack Chase, where the hell are you?!" his mother screeched, her face furious. In the background, he heard Cora's indistinct voice.

"Gateon Port, but-"

"WHY ARE YOU IN GATEON PORT?!"

"Looking for Thorn, but-"

"Leave that to the proper authorities and COME HOME!"

Jack waved his gloved hand. "I can't!"

"And why not?" his mother demanded.

"You know wh-wait, do you?" He peered at her. "Professor Geranium said she would explain what was going on. What did she tell you?"

"That you were going to look for Thorn," she said instantly. "That you felt like you didn't have a choice. But that's ridiculous Jack, it's not your fault!"

"So she didn't tell you about the Purity Gear?" He thought rapidly; if Geranium had kept it a secret, logic said so should he; but this was Cora and his mother, they deserved the truth from him.

"The _what_?" The woman blanched. "No, she only said you were going after Thorn."

"Um, this may take awhile...where's Cora? I don't want to go through this twice."

"I'm right here." Cora's voice was soft, and she looked...tired. Ill.

"Cora..." Umbreon perked up. "Cora, are you okay?" He reached out to touch the screen. "Oh, Arceus, Cora," Jack whispered.

"Don't worry, Jack, I'm okay." Cora smiled. "How are things going?"

"Oh, um..." Jack looked away. "Not so good," he confessed. "I caught up with the guy who stole Thorn, but then he got away."

His mother coughed. "Didn't you have something to tell us _besides_ that?"

"Well, after you told me what happened, I went to go talk to Professor Geranium..."

**A/N: It's filler, but it's okay, I think. Blah. It didn't want to be written. But I gave Jack a chance to talk to his family, so that counts for something, doesn't it? *Puppydog eyes* Anyway, I'm pushing this story forward next chapter no matter what happens.**


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Alright, Frost. What do you want?" Jack growled. In front of him, Bella shifted into a battle stance, ears flicking back.

"I want my Furret back, what do you think?" Frost snarled. Shinx stood in front of her, sparking. "Shadow Rush, Shinx!"

"Bella, Shadow Ball! I don't have your Furret anymore," he added as the two attacks collided. "And I'm reclaiming that Shinx today!"

The two were about halfway to Agate Village, by Jack's reckoning. The scrubby desert provided a dreary background, but it faded into the background, especially in comparison to the heat of the battle.

Frost frowned...then grinned mischievously. "Oh, really? Shinx, return! Go, Swablu!"

Jack's eye twitched slightly. Really? Just...really? She was doing it just to screw with him, she had to be. She had been perfectly willing to use Shinx until he said he wanted it. "Fine, have it your way. Bella, Dark Pulse and follow with Swift, no more playing around!"

The resulting explosion nearly knocked both trainers off their feet, but they managed to stay upright...although the Swablu wasn't nearly as lucky. It hadn't been very strong to begin with.

Frost seemed to know this; while the dust settled, she took off, abandoning her Swablu. Jack looked skyward; what kind of heartless trainer was she? Of course, he answered himself, all of Snagem seemed to be like this. It shouldn't be as surprising as it was.

The Swablu didn't fight the capture too hard; Jack liked to think that it hadn't been under Frost's control for too long and still remembered how kind trainers could truly be. He glanced at the lavender and silver ball before stowing it, scowling; now Frost knew he didn't have the Furret, she might take a gamble and track Andy back down on the hope that he had it.

What should he do? He wanted to warn Andy, certainly; the guy didn't deserve to lose the Furret, too. But he didn't have his number, and it could take awhile for Geranium to pass the message along. He had no idea where Andy was headed, either.

His second option was to track Frost down; she couldn't have gotten too far away, after all. But he had no clue as to the direction she had taken, and she was remarkably good at disappearing. He could easily get lost in the surrounding desert searching for her.

His third option was to ignore the Andy-Frost situation and press on with his quest to get Thorn back.

As he called Bella back, he finally decided that the third option was best. Cora was more important to him than anyone or anything else, and he couldn't allow his concentration to be broken this easily. "I'm sorry Andy," he whispered guiltily to the wind. "Please forgive me, and good luck against your adversaries." He turned and fled down the path towards Agate Village.

**A/N: Yeah, it's short and a filler, but I'm forcing myself through writer's block. I know that if I can force myself to keep writing, even if it's all fillers, I can get this plot moving again. I am not giving up on this story, either.**

**I'm thinking about dabbling a bit more in the YGO universe, but every idea I come up with turns out a crossover, so I hope you guys don't mind ^.^;**

**Also, don't forget to review! Tell me what you do and don't like, point any and all grammar and spelling mistakes, and if something doesn't make sense, feel free to ask! **

**And finally, a shoutout to RedWarrior702 and WhiteMoonxBlackSun for following! You guys are my life lines. And special thanks to a coworker of mine, I've been promising this chapter to you for a while, I really hope you like it!**


	11. Chapter 10

Italics = dreams, memories

Chapter 10

"_Professor, I've been having strange dreams..."_

"_It's nothing to worry about."_

Bella and the Swablu, newly christened Song, were watching Jack's back while he peaked anxiously over the edge of a cliff. They weren't too far from Agate Village now, just a day's walk away, but it didn't seem close enough all of a sudden. He felt slightly nauseous, seeing how far away the ground was. Oh Arceus, was he really afraid of heights? He never knew that about himself before.

"What's the matter, kid? Not gonna jump, are you?"

Jack backed away and looked around sharply. "Well, if it isn't our favorite Jackal. Where's Thorn?"

In response, Jackal laughed and sent the shiny Espeon out. Jack gasped; Thorn's aura was darker than ever before. He thought it would be impossible for it to be any darker than how he saw it before, but it seemed he was wrong.

"Bella, Return!" he cried, just as Thorn rushed forward. The two collided, and Thorn rolled away. Jack hadn't been expecting the power of the move to be so strong, but was grateful for it, and ordered it again.

Unfortunately, Thorn had enough presence of mind to dodge of his own accord, without Jackal ordering him to. Then, all of a sudden, it was like when the two Pokemon siblings were Eevees again, their fight too rough for play, but the careful dance beginning without the trainers' consent. Jack didn't stop it, didn't say anything; he trusted Bella to win.

Jackal, however, was furious. "What are you doing?" he screamed as Thorn dodged yet again and used what seemed to be Quick Attack. "Shadow Rush, you son of a-oof!"

Thorn was thrown into the Snagem trainer as Bella's Iron Tail connected. Thorn immediately leapt to his feet, though Jackal was left winded and gasping for breath, unable to speak. The battle resumed once more.

Finally, after several long minutes, the two broke apart, facing each other, several feet between them. Both Pokemon were exhausted; Bella and Thorn were panting hard, and both of their eyes looked dull with fatigue. It was a wonder they were standing at all. The dance, it seemed, was over.

Jack felt a certain reluctance to break the silence, but he did anyway. "Bella," he said grimly, his voice quiet, arms crossed, "use Swift."

With the last of her energy, Bella formed the attack. Thorn braced himself; it looked for a moment like he might use another Shadow Rush. But then he seemed to hesitate, and closed his eyes instead...

Watching the purple Pokemon in the center of a dark cloud sailing through the air and crash into the ground, skidding a few feet, made Jack feel slightly sick. As always, Thorn had given his all in the battle; he had kept that much of himself intact; but Jack couldn't help but feel that he deserved better than what he was getting from his trainer's brother.

"All for a good cause..." he whispered. "Purity Ball, go!"

Strangely, Thorn still had the strength to fight. Rather than the usual three rocks, it gave four.

Jack was glad the Pokemon retained his "never say die" attitude. If he was returned to Cora without it...if he ever lost any of the core of himself...both Jack and Cora would have been heartbroken.

Slowly, Jack approached the modified Pokeball and picked it up. He saw, out of the corner of his eye, Jackal standing up, gripping his stomach. Jack turned away from Jackal and Agate Village, instead heading back in the direction of Pyrite Town.

"Where are you going?" Jackal demanded, drawing out another Snag Ball. "I'm not through with you! I still have a Pokemon to fight with, and this time I won't lose."

Jack kept walking.

"Trainers can't back down from a challenge!" Jackal screamed. "You can't run away from a fight. No real trainer does, no trainer with a shred of honour to them."

Jack's jaw clenched, but he called Bella back to her Pokeball and forced himself to keep walking. Not listening, not listening, lalalalala-

"So that's it, then? You're not a real trainer? What are you, then?"

Jack stopped, but he didn't look back. "If you count a real trainer as someone who fights even when their Pokemon can't take anymore, then no, I'm not a real trainer. I'm just a kid, smart enough to achieve a goal and go while the getting's good. Say what you will, but I have Thorn, and that's all I ever wanted from you." He started walking again.

Even if he wanted to continue fighting...even if he wanted, more than anything, to pound that piece of dirt out of existence for what he did to Cora and Thorn...Bella, Song, and Thorn's health were much more important.


	12. Epilogue

This is written from Jack's point of view. I don't know why I decided that, but I did. I guess I thought it would work better.

Epilogue

Watching Cora and Thorn play together again, I felt like the happiest person alive. I had done it; I had achieved my goal, a goal that was so radically different from every other trainer's that most wouldn't even consider it for a second. I had purified a corrupted Pokemon, tangled with Snagem, successfully shown that they weren't as badass as they were made out to be.

But thinking of Frost, my only rival that I actually enjoyed fighting, even though she was a Snagem grunt, made me feel a sense of loss. I wasn't sure why; even if I viewed her as a rival, I only knew her a few days. A couple battles shouldn't be enough expect a battle from her every time I went out. Why would she even seek me out? She knew Andy had her Furret, not me.

Ah, Andy...Even though we got off on the wrong foot, my decision to go after Thorn and not Shinx first made me feel disappointed in myself. I never found out if Andy got Shinx back. I suppose I never will. I hope he's doing well in his continued battles with Snagem, I pray he forgives me for not chasing Frost.

I felt my hand form into a fist. The hand used to convert Pokeballs into Purity Balls. I still had the glove, it still worked for me...Geranium said that's why she wouldn't take it back, because it was unlikely to work for someone else, so I might as well keep it. I think she's secretly hoping I'll go back to Purifying of my own accord. I suppose everyone has dreams.

"Earth to Jack! You okay?"

I blinked. "Cora. Um. Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking. What's up?"

Cora took a deep breath. "I finally decided. I want to go to the Hoenn region."

I looked at her doubtfully. "Just you and Thorn?" Maybe I should lend her Song; she wouldn't have to worry about Snagem while she was away, but every region had their own baddies to deal with, and Hoenn had two major fighting factions causing chaos.

Cora nodded, her eyes determined. "I'll catch others while I'm there, don't worry. I'll be fine."

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning. The ferry leaves pretty early. What are you going to do?"

"Well," I said slowly, stalling. I was supposed to make my next life-altering decision, but the truth was, after that whole ordeal with Snagem, I didn't want any more excitement like that. Constant worry about Cora and Thorn...chasing mere rumours...I suppressed a shudder. "First, I'll walk you to the ferry. After that..." I shrugged. "I was thinking about going to Johto for their League Challenge. Nothing major."

"You should do it, you'd be great at it!" Cora exclaimed. Yeah, she would think so. Of course, I never told her I ran away from that last fight with Jackal. I smiled tiredly.

"I'll definitely keep the option open," I promised.

"Really? You'll give it some true, serious thought?" Cora caught my eye, her expression serious and troubled. "Ever since you got back, you've been all broody. I think this could help."

I held up my right hand. "I swear, on my honour as a trainer, that I will give the Johto League challenge some true, serious thought," I swore, my voice and expression playful. If only my honour meant anything anymore.

"Good." Cora smiled. "Next time you see me, I'll be Grand Festival Champion," she vowed. She ran off, Thorn hot on her heels, no doubt intent on practicing.

"That, I do not doubt," I murmured.

**A/N: Yeah, yeah, sucky ending. This was just to lead you guys to the next story. Cora-centric, and yes, you will be seeing Jack again, though maybe not in Cora's story.**

**Arceus, this whole thing begs to be rewritten...would you guys object to that? I haven't gotten a lot of feedback, so I don't know how I'm doing. Plenty of views, just no Reviews.**

**But that won't be done until much later, when I have the inspiration. Right now, I'm going over this, introducing my forehead to my desk.**

**But I hope you like it, anyway. Read and review, brownies to all!**


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